The US routinely wash their chicken in chlorine to remove bacteria, inject beef with growth hormones and pork with drug ractopamine, to build the muscle mass.

These techniques have become symbolic for opponents of such a deal, with detractors warning that US products could either pose health risks or undercut UK farmers because they are cheaper to produce.

As head of an organisation that represents around 200,000 US farms, Mr Johnson said that US rules were of a ‘different’ standard, rather than a lower one.

‘I think it is fair to say that the standards that we follow allow for more rapid scientific advancement, that a more cautionary approach [from the EU] means that scientific advances are going to happen more slowly,’ he said.

‘The trade negotiations need to figure out a way to allow both of these standards to be used and in a way that is honest and truthful – and let consumers choose.’

Mr Johnson also said clear labelling would allow consumers to make informed decisions.

In January, Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, head of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Agroecology, said there were ‘serious concerns’ that a badly negotiated deal ‘could trigger a race to the bottom in terms of standards and ability of our own farmers to compete’.

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Environment Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC at the time that Britain will not ‘dilute our high environmental standards or our animal welfare standards in the pursuit of a trade deal’.